Clams & Oysters on the Hood Canal

Hey folks – great opportunity coming up this weekend: minus tides and new tideland openings for shellfishing along Hood Canal. Lowest tides of the month (-2.4!) fall on Wednesday and Thursday, but minus tides are also scheduled for the weekend, along with great spring weather – which is a great combination for a good time!

Lots of places to go along Hood Canal, Quilcene, Dabob Bay, and the surrounding areas – easy pickins – and limits are 40 clams and 18 oysters per person, which is a LOT of shellfish!

Bring along a bucket and a small garden claw to gently pick through the sand and gravel. A shovel might be handy but is not really necessary because oysters lie on top of the beach and clams are just a few inches beneath the surface. Also don’t forget a lemon when it comes time to feast on the fruits of your labor!

Oysters have to be shucked on the beach, which, if you haven’t done this before, by the time you get through 18 of them, you kind of get the knack of it, if not a few cuts in the process!

We headed out two weeks ago on the new moon, camped at the Dosewallips State Park, and although we got some heavy rains on Saturday, Sunday was bright. I posted more pictures, tips & tricks for harvesting & shucking, and some ideas on how to cook at my main website: http://whaletails2quailtrails.com. (Thanks for visiting!)